


Black Magic

by quill_and_ink



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Birthday, Birthday Sex, Bottom Magnus Bane, Boys Kissing, Love Potion/Spell, M/M, Magic Fuckery, Magic Made Them Do It, Potions Accident, Sexual Tension, Top Alec Lightwood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:21:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26426293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quill_and_ink/pseuds/quill_and_ink
Summary: "I mean... in hindsight, it wasprobablya bad idea to taste anything located in a warlock's apartment that wasn't specifically offered as food or drink.""You think?!"
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 35
Kudos: 329
Collections: Favorite Malec Stories





	Black Magic

**Author's Note:**

> Idk where this came from. I was listening to Little Mix's "Black Magic" and my brain decided a Malec fic needed to be written. I don't make the rules. This was also supposed to be a short fic. Like. What. Why. What happened. I don't know.
> 
> However, I then decided that it would be perfect for our boy's birthday, so this weird little fic was born. Happy birthday, Alec Lightwood-Bane!! ❤️❤️❤️
> 
> If you're on Twitter, I'm @quill_and_ink0 - I'd love to hear from you. 😘

In hindsight, it was probably a bad idea to be actively brewing a slightly less-than-legal lust potion for a mundane couple looking to reignite their sex life. It was also probably a somewhat worse idea to only halfheartedly clean up his brewing station, leaving the unstoppered potion flask on his desk rather than storing it on an out-of-the-way shelf until it was ready for consumption. It was _definitely_ a terrible idea to not do all of the aforementioned activities when the Head of the New York Institute showed up at his front door, asking for some insight into the recent demonic activity plaguing Queens. It was potentially the worst idea he'd ever had to lead Alexander Lightwood into his office to wait while he searched for the necessary book that held information on this particular demon horde.

Then again, hindsight was 20/20, and Magnus Bane's brain had always turned a bit mushy whenever Alec was around. He'd been crushing on the man for months, ever since Clary Fairchild's reappearance had dragged him back into Shadowhunter affairs. If Alec had been anything other than a Nephilim, Magnus would have seduced him ages ago, but at this point in his long life, Magnus had experienced far too many of the Clave's rules, regulations, and long-held biases to want to get involved with any of the angel-blooded warriors. Still, his resolve was always tested whenever he caught a glimpse of Alec training, fighting, wearing a short-sleeved shirt, stretching, smiling, existing...

"While you're waiting, can I offer you anything to - what are you holding?" Magnus stared wide-eyed at the man standing next to his desk. Alec looked up at him and Magnus nearly stumbled back a step - the Shadowhunter's smile was blindingly bright and open.

"It smelled like strawberries," Alec confessed sheepishly, glancing down at the bottle. "Tasted like them too." Magnus spat out a curse in Ancient Greek and strode across the office, snatching the bottle out of Alec's hand. A faint whiff of berries wafted through the air as Magnus held up the now-empty flask, a single drop of the shimmering deep purple potion lingering at the bottom. His entire morning's work had now gone down the drain - or, rather, down Alexander Lightwood's throat.

"Oh, this is bad," Magnus muttered, his mind racing as he clutched the bottle. The potion wasn't meant to be consumed for at least five hours after being bottled, and he'd only finished brewing forty-five minutes previously.

"I don't think anything is bad," Alec murmured, pressing himself against Magnus's back and burying his face in Magnus's hair. The urge to lean into the Shadowhunter's embrace was almost overwhelming and Magnus felt his eyes begin to slip closed.

" _Whoa_ , no, no. Oh, no. What are you - off, off! No, stay back!" Magnus ordered, skipping out of Alec's arms and around the side of the desk, using the furniture as a shield between them.

"You don't _really_ want me to stay back," Alec teased, both hands flat on the desk as he leaned in. "I have no idea what was in that little bottle, but I've liked you for ages, Magnus Bane. And I know you like me, too. Or you at least like to look at me," he amended with a crooked grin.

"You don't mean that, Shadowhunter," Magnus told him, his chest aching. "You don't know what you're saying - it's just the potion -"

"No, it's not," Alec interrupted. "I mean, I don't know why I'm just now saying all of this, so maybe _that_ is actually the potion, but I've been flirting with you for months now." Magnus stared at him in horror. What in the hell did this potion cause if it was consumed before it was ready? Alec frowned. "Maybe I'm just really bad at flirting."

"I'm sure you're... perfectly adequate at flirting, but you haven't been flirting with me because you're a Shadowhunter and I'm a Downworlder, and Shadowhunters don't flirt with Downworlders," Magnus reminded him, keeping one eye on Alec as he reached for his potion book.

"Before Clary came along, Jace flirted with Downworlders all the time," Alec pointed out. "He dated them. Kissed them. Fu -"

"Not one single letter more, Alexander, I swear to Lilith," Magnus burst out, his heart pounding. The last thing that he needed right now was to have the idea in his head of a certain Nephilim and a certain Downworlder together in any way other than professional.

Nope. Too late.

"Fuck," he hissed, ripping through the pages as he searched for the recipe he'd used that morning.

"We could, you know." Magnus froze, his hand splayed over a page detailing a sense-heightening potion. Alec's fingers stretched over his, long and warm, archer's calluses grazing over Magnus's skin. "I'd let you do anything to me -"

"Don't take this personally, but kindly shut the fuck up," Magnus requested desperately, using his magic to shove Alec away from the desk. The Shadowhunter giggled - actually _giggled_.

"I know you like looking at me," Alec said again, toying with the hem of his shirt. "You can keep looking if you want." Magnus glanced up from his potion book just as Alec began to pull his shirt up.

" _DO NOT!_ " Magnus shouted frantically. "Just... I don't know... go sit in the kitchen or something. Go somewhere else. Anywhere else."

"I don't _want_ to go anywhere else," Alec told him, dropping the shirt. He looked over at Magnus, desire writ openly across his face. "I just want to be here with you."

"You don't mean that," Magnus responded, clutching at the edges of the book. "It's just the potion, whatever it's doing to you."

"You're not listening to me, Magnus," Alec insisted softly, taking a step closer. "I've _always_ wanted to be with you."

"It's just the potion," Magnus repeated stubbornly.

"Magnus -"

"Fine, you stay here and I'll go elsewhere." Magnus grabbed his potion book and barrelled around the side of the desk with every intention of escaping to the living room. Instead, he found himself pushed against the open door, Alec's hands heavy on his waist as he stepped close. A shiver ran down Magnus's spine as Alec's lips ghosted over his jaw; in spite of his protestations, he tilted his head to the side, fighting back a moan when Alec pressed a hot kiss to his neck.

"I don't want to stay in your office, or the kitchen, or anywhere else where you're not," Alec breathed against his skin. "I've wanted you for so long and never felt like I could come right out and say it, but for whatever reason, right now just feels like the perfect time."

Cold reality came crashing down like a bucket of ice water. "No. It's the potion, Alec," Magnus whispered, pressing one hand against Alec's chest - son of a _bitch_ , this man was made of pure muscle - and gently pushed him away. "I have to figure out what this potion does when it's not ready, but I can guarantee you that all of this is from the potion."

"C' _mon_ , Magnus, just live in the moment for once!" Alec pleaded, following Magnus out into the living room. "Would it help if I took my shirt off?"

" _What?!_ No, absolutely not, whatever you do, do _not_ take your - you took your shirt off." Magnus felt a panicked giggle bubbling up inside of him and he did his best to stamp it down. "You... you... _you_... took your shirt off." He was staring. He was blatantly staring, and Alec knew it. He stood in the middle of the living room, a knowing smirk on his face, muscles and muscles and more muscles on full display, acres of toned skin decorated with runes, chest hair that Magnus wanted to drag his fingers through - "Can you not?!"

"I _knew_ you liked to look," Alec repeated as he stalked closer.

"I do _not_ \- dammit, Shadowhunter, this is all from the potion!" Magnus shouted, slapping at Alec's arm as he dragged his fingers over Magnus's cheek.

"I mean... in hindsight, it was _probably_ a bad idea to taste anything located in a warlock's apartment that wasn't specifically offered as food or drink," Alec admitted with an adorable wrinkle of his nose.

"You think?!" Magnus snapped hysterically, pushing away the handsy Shadowhunter with a harmless pulse of magic. "Just... stay over there while I figure this out."

"But I don't want to stay over here," Alec whined, draped over the back of the armchair that Magnus had shoved him behind. "I want to come sit with you!"

"No! No sitting with me until I figure this out!" Magnus ordered, drawing up a quick ward to keep Alec confined to the immediate vicinity of the chair. "I just... need to think."

"You're really pretty, you know," Alec told him, grinning at him as he propped his chin on his hand, his elbow resting on the back of the chair.

"You need a babysitter," Magnus accused.

"You can sit on me any time you want," Alec invited, a wicked glitter in his eye. Desire rocketed through Magnus at the salacious comment and he stared open-mouthed at Alec.

"What the fuck, what the fuck, _what the fuck_ ," Magnus hissed furiously. "I am politely requesting that you put your fucking shirt back on!" he shouted. He spun away from the Shadowhunter and strode back into his office, the magic surrounding Alec holding him near the chair as Magnus pulled out his cell phone and dialed Catarina.

"You caught me on my day off!" she greeted cheerily. "What can I do for you, my friend?"

"I need help, Cat, I need so much very serious help, like the most serious help that could ever be needed ever -" Magnus babbled in a desperate whisper.

"What - Magnus, slow down, what's going on?"

"I don't know, _I don't know!_ " He paused and took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Alec Lightwood stopped by to ask for help with a demon infestation in Queens and while I went to pull a text with more information, he decided for some _asinine_ reason to drink a potion that I'd brewed this morning for that mundane couple I mentioned the other day-"

"You mean, the definitely-against-Clave-legislation lust potion?" Cat interrupted.

"Semantics, Catarina - the lust was already there, this potion was just to help give it a boost," Magnus corrected her quickly. "But the potion needed to sit for five hours after the brewing finished before -"

"Before it can be consumed, yes, I'm aware. This isn't my first century as a warlock, you know." Magnus glared down at the phone as though Cat could see him. "How long was it between bottling it and the Shadowhunter drinking it?"

"About forty-five minutes."

"And have you noticed any effects?"

A frantic laugh leapt from Magnus's lips. "You could say that. Um... " He heard Alec call his name, an odd hitch in his voice, and he rubbed at his eyes. "He keeps... throwing himself at me."

"...I'm sorry, what?"

Magnus sighed. "He keeps telling me that he wants me and he's taking his shirt off and... kissing my neck -"

" _What?!_ "

"Magnus...?"

He spun around, forehead creased in confusion at the distressed tone to Alec's voice. "Something's wrong," he murmured into the phone, crossing to the doorway and glancing out to the living room. His eyes widened in horror as he watched Alec fall to one knee, his skin pale and grey as he held onto the back of the chair for support. He sprinted across the room as the Shadowhunter's face contorted in pain, catching him around his chest as they tumbled to the floor. "Alec! Alec, what happened?"

"I don't... know," Alec responded shakily, every muscle taut as he sucked in a sharp breath. "I just... the longer you were in the other room - it was like an itch at first, and then burning, and then it felt like I was being cut all over and my chest was being squeezed shut or something." Magnus placed his hand flat against Alec's chest, now thankfully clothed again, the Shadowhunter's heart pounding dangerously fast against his palm.

"Magnus... _Magnus!_ " He quickly lifted his phone again, his arm still wrapped around Alec as the Head of the Institute focused on taking deep breaths. "Did he say he was in more pain the longer you were away from him?"

"That's certainly what it sounded like, but that's not a side effect of this potion," Magnus said, mentally running through the known effects.

"Not when the potion has sat for five hours after brewing, anyway, but apparently drinking it before it's ready has magically tethered the idiot to you," Catarina pointed out. "I'm conjuring a Portal. I'll be there in a minute." Magnus dropped his phone onto the carpet as she hung up, frantically running a hand through Alec's hair.

"Does it still hurt?" he asked softly, ignoring the twist in his chest when Alec settled against him with a tired sigh.

"No. It's better with you here," the Shadowhunter told him. His fingers curled around Magnus's wrist, holding his arm against his chest.

"Alec -"

"Please don't say this isn't real," he pleaded, pressing his face into Magnus's neck. Catarina chose that moment to burst into the room, her eyebrows skyrocketing when she saw them curled up together on the floor.

"How cozy," was all she said. "Alec, how are you feeling?"

"Better. It stopped hurting as soon as Magnus came closer," Alec explained.

"But the pain started when he left the room?"

"You really think it has something to do with my proximity?" Magnus asked disbelievingly.

"That's certainly what it sounds like, but there's only one way to know for sure." She held her hands out to them, helping the both of them off the floor. Magnus immediately felt cold as he stepped away from Alec, letting Cat stand between the two of them. He wanted nothing more than for all of this to be real, for Alec to genuinely want him and to hold him and to look at him like... well, like he was right at that moment, caring and warm and dopey-eyed, and all Magnus wanted to do was climb that man like a fucking _tree_. "Focus, Bane," she murmured under her breath.

"Focusing," Magnus muttered, clearing his throat. "So what do you want me to do?"

"Go back into the office," Cat instructed. Magnus stared at her.

"Wha - no!" Magnus protested. "The last time I went into the office, Alec ended up collapsing onto the floor!"

"I didn't really collapse," Alec commented, shrugging. "More just... slowly slid down to the ground."

"The only way to figure out if your proximity or lack thereof is causing the pain is for you to go away," Catarina pointed out.

"But -"

"It's fine, Magnus," Alec chimed in. Magnus looked over at him, his breath catching in his throat when Alec reached out, brushing his fingers over Magnus's cheekbone. Cat slapped his hand away and gave Magnus a light shove.

"Magnus, it's just for a few minutes and I'll be right here. Go - Alec, what are you doing?" Cat demanded as Alec pushed past her, catching Magnus by the waist and pinning him against the back of the armchair. Magnus dug his fingers into the Shadowhunter's arms, sucking in a sharp breath when Alec rested his forehead against Magnus's.

"I knew you cared," he whispered, his lips brushing Magnus's as he spoke, testing every ounce of willpower Magnus possessed to not close the distance between them. "It's just... _fuck_ , I just love you so much."

Magnus jerked his head back, staring up at Alec as Cat yanked him away. "Magnus! Office, now!" she shouted, her eyes wide. Magus stumbled away, his eyes locked on Alec's as he hurried into his office, his mind spinning. Love? _Love?!_ He heard Alec call his name and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Magnus, what the fuck?!" Cat whispered from behind him. Magnus spun and pointed at the door.

"What are you doing in here?" he demanded. "You're supposed to be watching over Alec!"

"He'll be fine for two seconds - why is he professing his love for you?"

"I don't know! This is the problem - he drank the damn potion and now I don't know what it's doing because _he drank it before it should have been drunk!_ " Magnus hissed. "But none of what's going on is a known side effect of the potion, so we need to figure out what the fuck is happening, but in the meantime, will you _please_ get back out there and make sure he's okay?!"

Cat glared at him, searching his face for a moment before her gaze softened slightly. "You really do care about him, don't you?" she murmured.

"Don't be ridiculous," Magnus muttered, stubbornly crossing his arms. "Stop looking at me like that." She raised one eyebrow and said nothing. "He's just really hot, okay?! Just go!"

Cat rolled her eyes and marched out of the room. Magnus took the opportunity to frantically scan through the potions text to see if there was any mention listed of adverse effects if the potion were brewed or consumed improperly. He paused in between pages, listening through the quiet of his apartment for a moment.

"Catarina?" he called out suspiciously. "It's been five minutes - anything?"

"Give it another five!" she shouted back.

Magnus froze - it had already been longer now than the first time he'd left Alec alone, and she wanted him to stay away double the time? He slammed the book shut and sat back in his chair, straining his ears to hear something, anything, to let him know Alec was okay. "I just don't want to get dragged in front of the Clave for drugging and torturing the Head of an Institute, that's all," he mumbled to himself. _It's just... fuck, I just love you so much._ Wrong, wrong, wrong. No. Very wrong. Alec's words were just potion-induced psychosis. That's it.

"Magnus!"

At Catarina's shout, Magnus was out of his chair in an instant, sprinting around his desk and hurtling into the living room. Alec was on his back on the rug, face and limbs contorted in pain, a sheen of sweat on his brow. Heart pounding, Magnus dropped to his knees at Alec's side, catching one of Alec's hands with his own and pressing his hand against Alec's chest.

"Alec... Alec! Look at me, I'm right here," Magnus said breathlessly as Alec took a shuddering breath.

"Ouch," the Shadowhunter muttered, wincing as his muscles slowly began to settle, letting him sink back into the carpet.

"You're okay. We'll figure this out," Magnus promised, his thumb brushing over Alec's fingers. His heart gave a little flutter when Alec squeezed his hand and glanced up at him.

"I know you will," he whispered. "I trust you."

"Magnus..." He wrenched his gaze away from the Shadowhunter's and looked up at Cat, standing over them with her arms around herself. "We're going to need help figuring this out. All hands on deck, from as many viewpoints as we can get."

He sighed heavily. "My apartment is going to be overrun, isn't it?"

* * *

Overrun, indeed. Catarina practically called in the cavalry, dragging Raphael, Simon, Maia, Luke, and Meliorn in to help dig through Magnus's countless tomes, searching for a solution from all races of the Downworld. To Magnus's great dismay, a quick phone call by Alec to the Institute to let them know what was going on brought a suspicious Jace, Clary, and Isabelle to his front step. He tried closing the door in their faces, but Alec had sidled up behind him, catching the door before it could swing shut.

"They're here to help," Alec murmured into his ear, sliding an arm around Magnus's waist and pulling him back against his chest.

"Well, that's new," Isabelle noted, eyes wide.

Magnus had ducked out of Alec's reach and pressed his lips together, wordlessly gesturing for the Shadowhunters to enter. They'd spent the rest of the afternoon and well into the evening scouring ancient scrolls and books, comparing potions and effects and instructions, exchanging notes and loudly debating possibilities. Nothing panned out. Magnus kept pacing back and forth across the apartment, acutely aware of Alec's gaze following him as he walked, his mind replaying Alec's earlier statement over and over again.

_It's just... fuck, I just love you so much._

This Lilith-damned potion.

He'd finally tossed everyone out of his home near midnight, sensing a splitting headache on the horizon. The Shadowhunters had been the last to leave, loudly arguing that Magnus and Alec should return with them to the Institute so they could keep an eye on Alec, rudely insinuating that Magnus had purposefully dosed Alec with a botched potion. Magnus had stubbornly put his foot down, quite literally, insisting that he would stay in his own home rather than be babysat by the Clave. It wasn't until the three Nephilim had finally stomped off that he realized, given the issue with Alec undergoing increasingly excruciating pain the longer they were separated, staying in his own home meant being alone with Alec once more. At night. While they slept. Together in the same room. A shiver skated down his spine as he thought about the two of them sharing a bed.

They would crash on the couches in the living room.

Magnus had sat down on one couch, ordering Alec to the other couch, as he cracked open yet another book, this one of Ancient Babylonian potions, doing his best to decipher the cramped writing in the margins and attempting to ignore Alec's pouting and puppy-dog eyes from the opposite side of the room.

It was fucking _adorable_.

Magnus had finally relented and let Alec curl up on the floor next to the couch, gazing up at him as he refocused on the ancient script. It was... oddly soothing, sitting there like that, comfortable in their silence and close proximity. Too soothing apparently, considering they'd both fallen asleep at some point, Magnus realized as he groggily awoke the next morning, sprawled on the couch, the book of potions haphazardly wedged in the cushions. He rolled his neck against the arm of the couch, sighing in relief when a tight knot cracked. His arm was half-asleep dangling over the edge of the couch; he flexed his hand, trying to bring circulation back, and his fingers spread over Alec's chest.

His eyes popped wide open, fully awake, and he sat up slightly. His arm was stretched over Alec's shoulder and chest, and the Shadowhunter's face was pressed against the inside of Magnus's arm. Magnus glanced around, half-expecting Catarina to leap out of a closet to scare them both apart before relaxing again. The Shadowhunter was gorgeous, truly breathtaking. Without thinking, Magnus lifted his hand, gently brushing the backs of his fingers across Alec's cheek, freezing when the Nephilim's eyes fluttered open. Smiling softly up at him, Alec grasped Magnus's wrist before he could pull away and dropped a kiss to Magnus's palm.

"Good morning," he whispered, tilting his head to rest on Magnus's thigh.

"Indeed," Magnus murmured, his eyes locked on Alec's. "Uh, we should -"

"Shh," Alec interrupted, shifting onto his knees, never once looking away from Magnus. He reached out, his hand curving around Magnus's jaw, his thumb brushing over his cheekbone.

"Alec -"

"Shh," he said again, barely audible as he leaned closer.

In the heartbeat before Alec's lips touched his, Magnus sucked in a sharp breath to protest - then his mind went blank. The logical part of his brain was shrieking, _screaming_ at him that this was all only because of the potion, but after wanting the man for so long, he selfishly shut that logical part in a small box, just for this one single moment because Alec was kissing him. Alec was _finally_ kissing him, gentle and tentative and careful. Magnus twisted his fingers in Alec's shirt and pulled him closer, letting go of his control for once, just for one more moment. Alec's hand dropped to his hip and _squeezed_ as he knelt on the couch, one knee wedged between Magnus's thighs as Magnus deepened their kiss, licking into the Shadowhunter's mouth. His mind spun, desperate to take whatever he could get, arching against Alec.

Alec's tongue flicked against the backs of his teeth and Magnus couldn't stop his moan as he rolled his hips against Alec's. He dug his fingers into the Shadowhunter's hair, already mussed from sleep, and tugged lightly, swallowing Alec's gasp. Then it hit him.

Strawberries. He tasted strawberries.

Alec was still under the effects of the potion. None of this was real.

Magnus wrenched himself away from the Shadowhunter, feeling suddenly hollow, and pushed Alec off of him as he sat up. Alec perched on the very edge of the couch at Magnus's side, his hand still curled around Magnus's hip.

"It's the potion," Magnus told him, his voice sounding strained in his own ears. "It's just the potion."

"Magnus, it's not the potion -"

"It is," Magnus insisted dejectedly. Alec sighed and dropped his forehead onto Magnus's shoulder. "I have to call Catarina. And your Shadowhunter posse will be here soon as well."

"Magnus, please just listen for a minute -" Alec pleaded as Magnus slipped out of his grasp to stand.

"Breakfast? Coffee? Tea?" Magnus asked, turning away and walking towards the kitchen.

"Wait, Magnus -" Alec was in front of him suddenly, one arm around Magnus's waist and the other cupping the back of Magnus's neck, tugging him into a searing kiss, one that made Magnus's knees pathetically weak. "I want you. I _like_ you. I have since I first met you. You're gorgeous, brilliant, intoxicating, entrancing - I've completely fallen for you -"

" _Stop!_ " Magnus shouted, hating the break in his voice as he shoved Alec away from him. _Fuck_ this fucking potion and these fucked up side effects - this was tearing Magnus's heart apart, listening to the man he'd wanted for so long proclaim his love and knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was only because of this botched potion. "Just... stop."

A frantic knock at his front door saved him from further discussion. He ducked away from the Shadowhunter, striding towards the door to see Jace, Clary, and Isabelle waiting for him. He stood back silently to let them into the apartment, digging his phone out of his pocket and sending a desperate text to Catarina.

"You look like hell," Jace announced, giving Alec's head a light slap.

"Magnus, are you okay?" Clary asked softly, her brow furrowed in concern.

"Perfectly fine. Just coming to the realization that I need a more comfortable couch," he quipped, giving her a smile.

"I've been telling you that for decades and you've brushed me off every time," Cat commented dryly as she stepped out of a Portal.

"Yes, but I'd never slept on it and therefore wasn't aware you weren't just being overdramatic," Magnus told her. She caught his elbow and pulled him into the hallway towards his bedroom, just out of the Shadowhunters' vision.

"What happened last night?" she hissed.

"Nothing. I kept researching after you all left, I fell asleep on the couch, and Alec fell asleep on the floor," Magnus explained in an undertone.

"And this morning?"

Magnus rolled his eyes. "He kissed me, okay? We kissed for a few minutes and then I stopped it. Happy?"

Catarina stared up at him, seeming to examine his very heart, before reaching out and brushing her hand down Magnus's arm. "I'm sorry, my friend," she whispered. "I know how much -"

"It's fine, really," he interrupted. "It's... it'll be fine."

"Cat, do you have any other ideas?" Isabelle called out.

"I have one that we can try," Cat responded, her eyes locked onto Magnus's. "I found it in my healing texts last night. It's a... cleansing spell of sorts."

Magnus frowned. "Catarina..."

"There's a small risk of danger," she continued, turning and walking back out into the living room to face the group of Nephilim. "It's... essentially a spell to burn away any foreign influences in the body and requires briefly stopping the person's heart to ensure the body is clear."

"Abso _lutely_ not!" Magnus exclaimed, chorusing with Jace, Izzy, and Clary.

"Let's do it," Alec stated, crossing his arms. Magnus glared at him.

"Not a chance," he retorted.

"Look, you keep saying that it's all the potion's fault when I say that I love you -"

"I'm sorry, that you _what?!_ " Izzy demanded. Clary's mouth dropped open and Jace choked out a few strangled sounds.

"- so I want Cat to do this cleaning spell thing so you can't blame the potion when I then say, again, that I love you," Alec insisted stubbornly. He focused his attention back on Catarina. "Let's do it."

"No - wait, Cat, no!" Magnus argued, jumping in front of his friend. "You can't be serious!"

"It's the only thing that I can think of that we haven't already tried," she told him. "And you need to stay out here. If you're in the same room as him, it may not work. _No_ arguing," she added when Magnus opened his mouth to do exactly that. "Go sit down and just... wait." She pushed him back into an armchair and ushered Alec into the spare bedroom. Jace, Isabelle, and Clary filed into the room, Clary closing the door behind them, an apologetic look on her face.

"What the fuck is happening?" Magnus muttered to himself, raking his hands through his hair.

He spent the next hour and a half frantically pacing around his living room, pausing outside the door to the spare room each time he passed it to listen for any hint of distress. He stopped at his bar cart after forty minutes to toss back a glass of whiskey, never mind the fact that it was only mid-morning. He desperately wanted Alec to be okay, to be clear-headed and his normal self, unaffected by any unfinished potion. At the same time, he was terrified of returning to normal, of Alec no longer looking at him with that raw attraction in his eyes, with affection and desire, not now that he'd experienced it, had Alec pressed against him, kissing him like he was the only person in the universe that mattered.

Fuck this. Fuck all of this.

Magnus had lost track of time, walking endlessly around the living room when he realized the sounds he'd been only half-recognizing were concerned voices raised in warning.

"Wait, Alec - Alec, _no!_ "

Magnus spun to see the door to the spare room fling open. Alec stormed out in all his Shadowhunter, Head of the Institute glory, marching directly at Magnus. Before Magnus could say a single word, Alec had ushered him back against the wall, his hands on either side of Magnus's shoulders, caging him in.

"I want you to listen to me, and listen closely," he ordered furiously, his voice insistent and his eyes locked onto Magnus's. " _This is not the fucking potion._ Got it?"

"...huh?"

Magnus stared up at him in confusion as his mind struggled to make sense of the Shadowhunter's words. The next moment, Alec had hauled him into his arms and was kissing the life out of him. Magnus's arms automatically looped around Alec's shoulders, breathlessly clinging to him like a life jacket in stormy seas, ignoring the baffled shouts of the other Nephilim. After stealing every last ounce of air in Magnus's lungs, Alec released him, his hands still tight on Magnus's waist. "It's _not_ the fucking potion," he murmured again, watching as Magnus dragged in a ragged breath.

"Cat?" he called out, cringing at the tiny wobble in his voice. "Is - um, is it all -"

"Every last trace of the potion is gone," she responded, the grin evident in her voice even without Magnus looking at her. His attention was completely captured by Alec's eyes and hands and lips. "I checked three times."

"No strawberries, right?" Alec teased, pressing Magnus against the wall and easing his thigh back between Magnus's legs. Magnus just barely managed to catch his whimper before it left his throat.

"Oh, wow, they're just... right there, in front of us," Isabelle pointed out, giggling.

"We should maybe leave them to it. Without us," Clary added, stifling her own laughter.

"I can't imagine they'd want our help," Catarina agreed, bless her heart.

"But Alec -" Jace protested, still in protective parabatai mode.

"- will be just fine without you," Isabelle interrupted. "No demons here. Just a different kind of _slaying_."

"You can all go now," Alec told them loudly, never once taking his eyes off Magnus, grinning at the faint blush stealing across Magnus's cheeks.

Magnus chanced a quick glance around the Shadowhunter to see Clary closing the door behind them all and silence crept over the loft as Alec shifted an inch closer. "This is real?" Magnus whispered. "The potion is gone?"

"Every last bit of it," Alec confirmed. "And this is definitely real. I'm crazy about you. I have been for ages. You are... just incredible. Beautiful, smart, caring, generous, absolutely maddening in all the best ways -"

"Shut up," Magnus ordered desperately. He tightened his grip on Alec's shoulders and recklessly jumped onto him, wrapping his legs around the Shadowhunter's waist. Alec caught him easily, one hand low on Magnus's back and the other firmly cupping his ass, staring up at Magnus like he'd just been told he'd won every prize at the fair. "Bedroom. Now."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Alec replied, grinning. "Open a Portal. I'll figure out how to walk to your room next time."

"Demanding, aren't we?" Magnus teased, twisting his fingers towards the center of the room, his pulse skyrocketing.

"Yes, _you_ are."

"Wait, wait, wait -" Magnus bit back a curse as Alec kissed and licked at the hollow of his throat. "I just - hang on -" He unlocked one of his arms from the Shadowhunter's broad shoulders to snap his fingers and raise the wards around the apartment. He shrugged at Alec's questioning look. "I didn't want to risk any interruptions."

"Ah. That's probably a good idea because I wouldn't have stopped even if someone did show up," Alec commented cheekily. His fingers dug into Magnus's ass and Magnus's hips jerked against him as Alec stepped through the Portal into the bedroom. He bodily tossed Magnus onto the bed, yanking off his shirt before clambering onto the covers after him. "You're so fucking gorgeous."

"Shut up and kiss me," Magnus pleaded, running his nails over the Shadowhunter's arms. Alec's mouth was on his nearly before he'd finished speaking, his tongue delving into Magnus's mouth in slick, panting glides. Magnus arched against him, hooking one leg over Alec's hip, his hands tight on Alec's skin. Alec pulled back, pressing a line of hot kisses along Magnus's jawline as he tugged on the buttons of Magnus's shirt, kissing each bit of newly exposed skin as it appeared. "You're going to kill me," he moaned, throwing his head back against the pillows as Alec pushed his shirt open wide.

"Not before I'm done with you, and I can guarantee you that won't be for a _very_ long time," Alec promised breathlessly, rocking his hips against Magnus's. Magnus let his eyes flutter shut for just a moment when he felt the thick ridge of the Nephilim's cock rut against his own.

"I want your clothes off, Shadowhunter," Magnus whispered, pushing at the waistband of Alec's jeans.

"We'll get there," Alec reminded him, hushed against his skin as he grazed his teeth over Magnus's nipple. Impatient, Magnus snapped his fingers and they were both naked in an instant.

"You're right, we did get there." Alec grinned down at him as he pressed him back into the blanket, their hips fitting together perfectly.

"I can't believe you denied me the pleasure of undressing you," he said, stealing a deep kiss.

"How did you know it would be a pleasure? My clothes have a lot of buttons," Magnus pointed out, nipping at Alec's lip as he pulled away.

"Oh, I have every confidence that we both would have been able to find pleasure in me undressing you, no matter how long it took," Alec reassured him, a cocky twist to his lips as he knelt between Magnus's legs. His eyes raked over Magnus's body, darkening as they took in every inch of skin. Magnus vainly preened at the attention and wrapped his fingers around his cock, giving it a few light strokes.

"Are you taking or just looking?" he asked boldly. Alec leaned down and licked a broad path over Magnus's fingers, the tip of his tongue just barely flicking over the head of Magnus's dick.

"Taking. _Definitely_ taking. Lube?"

Heart pounding impossibly fast, Magnus snapped his fingers again and Alec was suddenly reaching between his legs. Magnus hooked his hands behind his knees, pulling them towards his chest and wide apart. Alec looked like Christmas had come early.

"Holy fucking shit, you're perfect," he breathed, his eyes skipping over Magnus's body, from his face to his chest to his cock hard and straining to his hole, tight and exposed. He circled one finger over Magnus's hole, pressing in carefully.

Magnus breathed slowly, rhythmic inhales and exhales as Alec thoroughly stretched him, his archer's calluses dragging deliciously over Magnus's rim, providing a stunning counterpoint to the bright flashes of desire rocketing through his veins every time Alec brushed his prostate. His thighs shook each time Alec slowly pulled his fingers out and his cock leaked against his stomach each time Alec slid back in. This was, without any comparison, the single best day of Magnus's entire life.

"Alexander, come on," he begged, releasing one leg to reach for the Shadowhunter. Alec looked up at him, his cheeks flushed as he leaned over him, capturing Magnus's lips in a hard, desperate kiss.

"I'm gonna make you feel so fucking good, I promise," he whispered, his eyes wide. He shifted his weight and wrapped his fingers around the base of his dick. Magnus held his breath when he felt the blunt head of his cock press against his hole, a high moan escaping his control when Alec pushed past that tight ring over resistance. Magnus's fingers dug into the Shadowhunter's impressive arms as he carefully slid deep into Magnus's body, his hips finally settling against Magnus's ass. Magnus pulled him up, stealing shaky kisses as he willed his body to relax and open up.

"I have a question for you," Alec announced suddenly, brushing his nose against Magnus's.

"Now? You have a question right now? Seriously?" Magnus demanded incredulously, staring up at him. He gave a pointed squeeze of his ass, watching Alec's eyes roll back ever so slightly. "It can't wait?"

"I'm curious," Alec said, somehow managing to shrug one shoulder. "Why did you and Cat get so freaked out when I said that I loved you when I was under the effects of the potion?"

Magnus forgot how to breathe for a moment. He'd hoped the Shadowhunter hadn't noticed that. "Oh. Uh. Well. You see, the potion -"

"Was that a legal potion, by the way?" Alec interrupted.

"Uhh... yes. Mostly. You know what, it doesn't really matter. Anyway, the potion is a type of lust potion -"

" _What?!_ "

"- that serves to heighten the senses and emotions that a couple already feels for each other," Magnus rushed to finish. Alec gave a tentative roll of his hips. " _Oh_ \- but it can't create or provoke any emotions that don't already exist. It just makes those preexisting feelings more powerful, stronger."

"So me saying I loved you..." Alec prompted.

"Was basically confirming what you were saying, that you liked me, but since you drank a potion before it was _ready_ \- idiot - we didn't actually know what the effects were and I didn't want to get my hopes up." That crooked smile crept onto Alec's face again and he slowly withdrew until just the head of his dick was still clenched by Magnus's rim.

"Well, get your hopes up, Bane, because I really do like you and you're not getting rid of me," he said honestly.

Magnus didn't get an opportunity to respond because in the next moment, Alec was using every one of those powerful muscles to fuck away every last sense of sanity that Magnus had ever possessed. He wrapped his legs around Alec's waist, his nails digging into Alec's arms, back, and shoulders. Alec fucked like he fought - single-mindedly, ruthlessly, completely focused on the goal at hand. He looked like a fallen angel, hovering over Magnus, a sheen of sweat covering his skin.

He ducked his head at one point, biting and sucking at Magnus's collarbone, leaving a line of tender marks on the skin, panting breaths washing over Magnus's chest. He glanced up at Magnus, his hips never once faltering, and gave him a filthy smirk, the likes of which Magnus was absolutely positive had never before graced a Shadowhunter's features in the entire history of their kind. Magnus was already hurtling towards the crest of his orgasm when Alec's fingers curled around his dick, jerking him off in tight, firm strokes, and Magnus's climax crashed through his body, his cock spurting over his belly and chest, spattering his skin with come. Alec followed just a few moments later, his hips stuttering as he buried himself deep into Magnus's body, filling him up.

The Shadowhunter's arms were trembling as he carefully and slowly slid his cock out of Magnus's hole, dropped onto his back next to Magnus. He reached out, worming his hand underneath Magnus's next, and tugged gently until Magnus rolled over against his side and slung one leg over Alec's.

"I should have listened to you yesterday. We could have been doing this for hours already," Magnus murmured, his body still shuddering through fantastic aftershocks.

"No one ever listens to me," Alec teased, dropped a quick kiss to Magnus's head. "You know, this is probably the best birthday present I've ever gotten."

Magnus's eyes popped open. "What?!" he demanded, wincing as he sat up suddenly and glared down at the Shadowhunter.

"What? It's my birthday today," Alec stated as though everyone should know that fact. He grinned. "Happy birthday to me."

"What the fuck," Magnus said faintly as Alec reached for him.

"Thank Raziel I drank that potion yesterday. None of this would have happened if it weren't for that black magic."

"Neither my magic, nor my potions, are black, thank you very much," Magnus muttered, straddling the Shadowhunter. "And Raziel had nothing to do with it. It was entirely the fault of a nosy, strawberry-loving Nephilim with zero common sense."

"And if you weren't leaking my come out of your ass, I might be offended by that statement," Alec pointed out, his fingers trailing over Magnus's hole. "However, that is _precisely_ what's happening at this moment, so all I'll say instead is just... get down here and kiss me again. That's all I want for my birthday."

Well. Magnus certainly wasn't one to deny a birthday wish.


End file.
